The Wales international, who joined the the Blades from Manchester City for £3m in 2009, was found guilty following a two week trial in 2012 after jurors heard he had sex with his victim, who was too drunk to consent, in a hotel in Rhyl.

Evans was given a five-year sentence following a unanimous guilty verdict.

He will be released in October and if his fitness levels are up to scratch, it is thought he will sign a £3m three-year contract with Sheffield United .

She said: "At the time I was devastated. I was heartbroken, but the fact that Ched got charged with this crime, that kind of took over the fact that he had cheated so I dealt with that myself.

"It wasn't nice for the whole world to know what happened. My boyfriend had sex with another woman and that wasn't nice for the world to see, but I stood by Ched and still do.

"It's part of the whole rehabilitation process when you leave the prison and you go back to work. All Ched wants to do is go back to work, do the job that he loves, play football, score goals and then just come home and have a family life."

Ched Evans and Natasha Massey

Alan Smith, a member of the Sheffield United Supporters Club executive, said that he has been given an assurance that Evans will be returning to League One side.

He added: "He has served his time, he has served his sentence and we would have him back.

"Good players like that have got to carry on playing and if not for Sheffield United it would be for someone else, and we would regret that."

Katie Russell, from Rape Crisis , said: "It is of course any convicted criminal's right to serve their sentence and then go back into employment. We absolutely stand by that.

"But at the same time we would urge Sheffield United to think very carefully about the message that they send when they immediately re-employ someone who's been convicted of such a very serious crime.

"If they choose to do that, which is their right, we urge them to seriously consider the impact that will have on huge numbers of their supporters.

"We urge them to make a very strong statement condemning sexual violence, condemning violence against women and girls and making it clear that misogyny, sexism, violence and sexual violence in particular won't be tolerated within football."

Evans' attempts to overturn his conviction have twice been rejected, but his legal team has now referred his case to the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission in another effort to clear his name.

Sheffield United have refused to comment on reports that manager Nigel Clough has been to visit Evans in prison but has confirmed that the club was in contact with him "subsequent to his conviction".